Potato cutter



JulyA 18, l939- L. s. GALLEN 2,166,622

PoTATo CUTTER Filed May 21, 1938 Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES.v

PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in potato cutters, the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

s More specifically, this potato cutter is for making so-called French fried'potatoes by which potatoes are out into long pieces about 1/4 or' inch square in cross section, preparatory to frying. 'Ihe herein described method of making my iff-l` potato cutter isA the subject of a patent application Serial Number 243,063 filed November 30, 1938, for Method of making potato cutters.

The main object of my invention therefore is to' provide means rst, for cutting raw potatoes into long pieces of suitable size in cross section, preferably square as usually required for making French fried potatoes; second, for mounting the device herein described in a suitable manner for operating upon the product; third, for pro- 55.) viding a cutter that will spread the pieces being cut in multiple to facilitate the operation of the machine; and other points of construction and operation hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a device exemplifying my invention;

, Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same;

- Fig. 3, a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, a'vertical lengthwise sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 an enlarged plan view `of the cutting plate itself; v

Fig. 6, a diagrammatic plan view of the middle part of the cutting plate illustrating lthe manner of partially cutting the plate in its flat condition in an oblique series of cuts to form the cutting edges and. the connecting portions; and

Fig'. '7, a similar edge view of the connecting portions as bent to form square passages between the spaced apart upper and lower plates integral therewith.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l indicates a rectangular base having legs 2 2 to support the base a convenient distance above a table on which the device rests. The leg 2 at the rear end of the base rests on the table. The

front leg 2 extends downward and horizontally rearward in two lugs 3 3', one of which is provided with a vertical thumb screw 4 to engage and clamp the edge of the table between them, andhold the base firmly fixed.

55 Other suitable means for holding the device in position on a table or elsewhere may be employed.

Mounted on said base is a. sliding frame 5 preferably by means of side flanges 6 having their lower edges turned inward to slidably en- 5 gage grooves 1 in the' sides of said base. This frame is rectangular and in the open space 8 the potato to be sliced is disposed and the frame is moved by hand or otherwise forward to press the potato against acutter that is mounted on l0 the base.

This cutter consists of a lower metal Vplate 9 that is screwed or otherwise secured to the base. An upper plate 9 is mounted above the plate 9 and is integrally connected thereto by vertical portions I0 which serve as cutters for the sides of the4 strips of potato. The upper l plate is thus spaced from the lower plate a distance equal to the horizontal distance between said connecting portions' in the preferred con- 20 struction for making the strips of potato of uniformly square cross section.

These" vertical` portions l0 are arranged in an oblique series of zigzag cutting edges diagonally across the cutter so that they successively meet 1,5 the potato and facilitate the cutting operation. This oblique or diagonal arrangement and successive cutting action of the several vertical portions ID, cause the strips as they are being cut to deflect or open out laterally in succession and .fmthus" facilitate the passage of the potato through the device.

A An'opening ll is formed in the base so that the stripsY when cut as above described will fall through the opening upon the table or into a 3:, pan placed beneath the device. This opening is slanting across'. the base andthe wall l2 is also inclined downward to form a defiecting surface for the strips of potato as they pass through the pasages in the cutter located at a wall i3 n- .40 clined across the base at a corresponding angle to the zigzagv cutter mounted above.

The top surface of the base is in two levels, the lower'level I4 extending from the front end l5 towards the zigzag cutter,V being on a lower 45 level than the surface I6 reaching from the cutter to a stop l1 at the rear' end of the base. These upper and lower levels of the base correspond with the upper and lower plates 9 and 9 let in flush with said levels as shown in Fig. 4. The lower level rIll has guard rails I4 at the sides of the base, and theframe slidingly mounted above the same as before stated, has at its rear a depending wedge shaped bottom I8 that slides between these guard rails and matches the ob- ,55

lique angular series of cutters I 0, so that the potato disposed in said frame can be pushed through the horizontal passages of the cutter to its extreme end and cause the potato strips to be deected by said wall I2 of the opening. Due to the angular arrangement of the vertical and separated horizontal cutting walls, the strips as they are cut from the potato, will be deflected by the adjacent vertical walls of the passages and successively opened out from each other as they successively pass the vertical portions.l Ill. This action of the cutter plate due to the angular arrangement of the cutting edges, makes it easyl to successively start cutting the strips and thenvv completing the cutting action by the movement of the frame until it reaches the stop at the rear end of the cutter.

Figs. 5 and 6 indicate a detail view of the cutting plate formed of metal such as steel plate that is sufficiently ductile to allow of forming the plate into upper and lower portions as beforedescribed while still connected integrally by overlapping portions spaced apart to form horizontal and vertical portions adapted to form the cutters IIJ at the zigzag sides of the strips whilerthe upper plate forms the cutter I0' for the top of the strip,-the bottom surface of the potato being disposed upon the lower level of the base I Y and caused to slidealong on the successive under-portions of thepotato under the impulse of the sliding frame.

Looking down on my cutter as in the planV views Figs. 1 and 5, it is evident that the upper plate portion 9 presents a staggered series of separate horizontal cutting edges I0 disposed at right angles to the length of the cutter. The said horizontal edges are continued downward to the succeeding lower plate portion 9 by the vertically disposed connecting portions I0 forming pairs of continuous angular cutting edges each pair of which simultaneously planes and splits off a square, elongated strip of potato or other tuber that is pressed against this angular cutting edge by manual operation of the sliding frame until the tubervpasses entirely beyond the cutting edges, and the inclined lower wall I8 of the frame meets the cutting edges, thus separating entirely at each forward movement, successive series of elongatedstrips.

Also that each splitting edge IIJ is integral with said portions 9` and 9 at top and bottom and is fully braced by said plate portions in its longitudinal vvertical position; and that my cutter plate has no seamscracks, or crevices wherein germs or dirt can lodge; andthat being inte,- gral, it does not require taking'apart for clean-V ing, but is readily cleaned in situ. Y

A plate in its flat condition is laid off in parallel lines and divided into lines at right angles' (see Fig. 5). A series of cuts is made through the metal plate of a length of (say) SA and disposed across the plate in such a manner that each cut overlaps the adjacent cut by 3/35 A series of cuts is thus'iormed obliquely across the plate and by bending the portions of the plate on opposite sides of the series of cuts, the cuts are slightly opened sufficiently to allow the insertion of a pointed square tool which raises one portion of the plate above the other a distance of in the example stated, and forms a series of square openings defined by the upper and lower plate portions connected by the vertical portions before described.

In the present construction these openings are square as above described and shown in the' drawing although they may be of other shape if desired. For instance, if the connecting portions are inclined to the upper and lower plate, a rhomboidal section of the cut potato strips would be formed.

Fig. 6 indicates somewhat diagrammatically the middle portion of the cutting plate and the method of partly cutting it to form the connecting portions. For example, a line 20 drawn at an angle of ,30 to the line 2| at right angles to the base, serves as a marker for the ends of a series of slits one end of which rests on said line 20 and extend parallel to each other and to the line 2I. As indicated in Fig. 6, these slits only partly cut the cutter plate. By bending the plate, it allows a square tool to be inserted in the slits so as to raise one portion of the cutter plate above the other portion and form the upper and lower plate portions 9' and 9 as before described. An edge view of the cutter is shown in Fig. '7 and the arrows indicate the method of raising one portion of the plate above the other by inserting said square tool. It will be noted that theseslits overlap each other in Fig. 6 and that the ends opposite the marker line 20, are respectively opposite the middle of the adjacent slit as indicated by the dotted lines. When the plate portion 9 is formed, each slit intercepts a portion of the plate between the adjacent slits as indicated by the dotted lines and likewise when the said intercepted portions are bent, one-half of each slit assumes a horizontal position indicated by while the other one-half indicated by y forms the vertical cutting wall designated I0.

Thus it is evident that the openings formed by raising the upper plate portion above the lower plate portion of the cutter while still connecting said upper and lower plates by the vertical cutting portions, provides a series of square openings through which the potato is forced by the preferred manual operation of the frame. The forward and backward movement of the frame by hand is quickly accomplished and the potato disposed in said frame is successively sliced horizontally and vertically by successive reciprocating movements of the frame, to produce the elongated strips of potato suitable for cooking and known as French fried potatoes.

I claim: AV potato cutter having in combination, a sheet metal plate comprising upper and lower plate portions inV successive parallel planes having adjacent edges intermediate its length connected integrally Aby spaced-apart vertical connecting portions of said plate, said adjacent edges being characterized by having series of separated horizontal cutting edges on said upper plate portion extending at right angles to the length of the plate and arranged staggered across the plate and spaced apart by said respective vertically disposed longitudinal connecting portions of the plate integrally connecting said two successive plate' portions and forming vertical cutting edges continuous with, and at right angles with said horizontal cutting edges, and braced by their integral connections with said upper and lower plate portions, thereby defining a zigzag row of angular cutting edges on a series of staggered longitudinal openings without seams, cracks and like crevices in the operative parts thereof.

LUCIAN S. CALLEN. 

